Fashion vs Quidditch
by mackgirl
Summary: Victoire hates Quidditch, but has a passion for fashion. All that changes after seeing her Uncle George doing a Beater practice. Written for the Beginning of Love Challenge at Hogwarts Online


_Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or his world. It all belongs to JKR, I am just playing in it._

_This story was written in response to the Hogwarts Online Beginning of Love Challenge. It is also included in the collaboration piece titled The Beginning of Love. A link for both the forum and the collaboration piece can be found on my profile._

**Fashion vs. Quidditch**

_The beginning of Victoire's love for Quidditch_

I never wanted to play Quidditch. In fact, I had no interest in the sport at all for many reasons. The biggest one was how violent the game was, especially for an eight-year-old girl as I was at the time. It was dirty, I could remember seeing Aunt Ginny after being forced to go to her Quidditch matches with my parents and she would be covered in dirt, blood and sweat. At the time, I didn't even play with mud pies because I was afraid of getting dirt on the pretty clothes that my parents bought me. Overall, I was looking forward to the day when I wouldn't even have to go to a Quidditch game ever again.

At eight-years-old I knew what I wanted to do with my life, I was going to be a world famous fashion designer. My name was going to be known in both the Wizarding and Muggle worlds. I could picture fashion magazines filled front to back with my designs. I could see everyone on the streets wearing my clothes. Granted, my style back then was more what my parents bought for me than what I picked out but I was determined. For an eight-year-old with fashion on her mind all the time, Quidditch with its violence, dirt, blood and sweat was the worse thing imaginable. I know surprising since everyone in my family was Quidditch obsessed, with the exception of my Aunt Hermione.

Then, one day I was at Grandmum's house. It was just Grandmum and I, and at the moment Grandmum was having a lying down and I was sitting at the kitchen table drawing pictures of dresses. I remember vividly how I was drawing a dress with big puffy sleeves with a neon green colored fabric, which was covered in bright pink polka dots. Yes, I know but I was eight.

Anyway, I was working on that dress when I heard someone in the backyard. Being the curious little snot that I was I immediately went into the backyard and found Uncle George with his Beater's bat. He was hitting some sort of ball up against a brick wall with his Beater's bat. He kept running back and forth, hitting the ball whenever it came towards him. What still amazes me to this day is that I didn't have any idea that Uncle George was doing an old Beater's training exercise. I thought he had invented a new game. I didn't even know he was using a Beater's bat until weeks later.

It was fascinating, I stood there watching until Uncle George finally missed a ball causing it to sail pass him. Uncle George let out a curse, causing me to giggle and alerting Uncle George to the fact that I was standing there watching him.

Uncle George sat the bat down and walked over towards me, wiping his forehead as he did so. "What are you doing here Victoire?"

I just gawked at Uncle George ignoring his question, "Did you just invent that game?"

Uncle George glanced between the brick wall and me before he grinned, "Do you want to be the first person I teach it to?"

What kind of a question was that? Of course, I wanted to be the first person to learn Uncle George's new game. I could wait to brag about it to Teddy the next time I saw him. I started to jump up and down excitedly as Uncle George told me to wait outside while he went and got another bat for me to use. He left me the bat that he had been using, and told me to practice swinging the bat at an imaginary ball while he was gone, and I did so without asking any questions.

The rest of the afternoon Uncle George and I spent it taking turns hitting that ball up against the brick wall with our bats. Years later Uncle George admitted to me that he kept waiting for me to figure out that I was learning how to play the Beater's position in Quidditch and would freak out. I never figured it out however; instead, I was concentrating so hard on hitting that ball with the bat making it bounce off the wall. I was so excited that Uncle George was teaching me his "new" game before anyone else learned it that it didn't even dawn on me that he might have been teasing me.

By the time, Grandmum stuck her head outside and asked Uncle George if he was staying for dinner, I was in love. The game was exciting as I made the bat connect with the ball. It was thrilling when I had to duck at the last second because I didn't make the connection and the ball was flying towards my face. It was my new favorite game, and I didn't even mind the sweat as much as I thought I would and remember thinking that at least there was no dirt or blood involved.

That evening during dinner, I made Uncle George promise to come back over tomorrow afternoon so we could play his "new" game again. Uncle George not only promised, but also agreed to leave the brick wall up and to leave one of the bats and the ball with me so I could play in the morning.

That was the beginning of my love for Quidditch.


End file.
